- This topic has 125 replies, 28 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago by
.
-
7 users thanked author for this post.
This forum does trend towards the more negative, but the first two games have not been promising and we are a club that expects to get out of this league. We see the division above as our baseline and any worries of underperformance and regression at this level will get people antsy. I am sure many Southend fans would feel like this too, given we are both traditional league clubs.
Anyway, all the best with the season. Have a soft spot for Southend since we both went through the turmoil of bad owners and nearly going bust at the same time. Every Southend fan I have seen has always been sympathetic towards us for it and I saw some donate to our fundraiser at the lowest ebb.
4 users thanked author for this post.
Considered thoughts again after a nights sleep.
We were completely outplayed by a very good team made to look almost world class by dreadful opposition.
Without Jones (awful kicking aside), woeful finishing, a post and a ref that, IMO, missed 2 penalties it could have been 7 or 8, a result that both sides deserved.
Barrows became a better RB retrospectively after watching Ogle.
Pleased to see the pointless Howe/Evans Chuckle Brothers passing given a rest. The only positive that I could see. No doubt there will be others from you know where but even he’ll struggle I think.
Didn’t like to get a downer on a player after one game last week but has anybody yet seen what Richards does? It’s like playing with 10 men.
Brennan and Gale join Beestin in the ” Look better as a sub than a starter” club.
No matter how much AB would like Pat Jones to be a RWB he’s not, stop trying.
Last weeks “wing wizards” were completely outwizarded.
How can a team chasing an equaliser fail to have an effort on goal in the second half?8 users thanked author for this post.
Well! First the positive we were in the game for the first 15 mins ala Rochdale away in the league, that’s it all negative from there on in.
Thank god Whitehall was dropped, dropped ffs he’d have got slated for doing f all up front.
Overjoyed to get to half time only 1-0 down, and fully expected Butler to give them the hairdryer treatment all to no avail if he did it didn’t work and they played even worse struggled to get out our own half.
Not seen a team so disjointed for a long time, at times we were Southends best attack option buggering about at the back twice Jones nearly got caught out been to slow to clear a back pass to him at times was like a Roberts half chance on goal, Southend fans loving him first half in front of them every time a back pass came to him giving it a big woah even had Scunny fans joining in.
No way did we lose because of Jones but bloody hell he just ain’t good enough dropped 2balls that should have easily caught, in added time he still managed to kick the ball out twice, now how many times did he kick the ball out of play altogether yet still arguably man of the match for a couple of saves he did make.
Now yesterday yes was just one performance, and Witham Southends PD equivalent on yesterdays performance is so wide of the mark, but it just wasn’t good enough and Ironawe can turn from preseason doesn’t matter a jot to it’s only 2 games, but preseasons do matter it’s to not only get distance in legs (Butler speak) but formulating how you play and system and after certainly yesterday know one is any the wiser twould imagine Butler’s the same.For Butler luckily he as the NL cup to play is best team again and get things sorted well that’s if he can. Certainly no time to rest players.
Rail service was very poor yesterday but not as poor as Scunthorpes performance.Move on done and dusted let’s not go there again.
5 users thanked author for this post.
Pretty much agree ‘tash.
Richards looks lost. Mind you the whole midfield played like they’d just met. Pat Jones LW please Andrew! Rowley first name on the teamsheet.
Full back conundrum just got worse as did the main striker problem.
4 users thanked author for this post.
Two positives to take away from yesterday.
1) First time in a long while that two brothers started a league game for the Iron. No even sure if Keith and Barry Lindsey ever started a game together. I’m sure someone will know.
2) The much maligned kit looks better in all claret.
That is all!
2 users thanked author for this post.
Pretty much agree ‘tash.
Richards looks lost. Mind you the whole midfield played like they’d just met. Pat Jones LW please Andrew! Rowley first name on the teamsheet.
Full back conundrum just got worse as did the main striker problem.
Yep to drop your most consistent player from last season is an absolute clanger.
Looks like we’ve ripped up last season’s game plan & team rather than tweaking it.
1 user thanked author for this post.
Don’t think I’ve seen this mentioned anywhere: utterly baffling why Gayle was tasked with the no 10 role. Looked like a fish out of water.
Everything else has been said I think.
One positive from yesterday, a cohort just might stop hailing Ogle as the second coming.
1 user thanked author for this post.
What’s the most worrying the complete lack of team cohesion. Butler got all the players in relatively early and most “nearly all” on permanent contracts in a bid to get them bedded in. Two games in and it looks like he’s picked 11 players at random and their all strangers.
No patterns of play and looks disjointed. Not sure what he’s been doing with them during pre season, but whatever it is, it clearly hasn’t worked.
The squad is a jumbled mess. GK problem hasn’t been solved due to Butler’s stubbornness. A raft of RB’s and natural left wingers, when we’re short of a quality CM playerm striker and obviously GK. Jones is a fantastic shot stopper but falls way short in all the other goalkeeping areas, distrubution, claiming high balls e.t.c.
Butler was asked during a DAZN interview whether he has a preferred style of play, which he resonded “No. I just like winning football”. When you actually think about it, we never have had a style of play since he’s been at the club. We basically pass around the back countless times and hoof it forward in an attempt to play off the scraps.
Only problem is we haven’t got a Callum Roberts playing 2/3 levels below his ability level who’s going to drift into spaces. pick the scraps up and do the unthinkable. Butler is playing in the same manner without the magic on the pitch which get’s us out of trouble.
Only way really to circumvent the lack of Roberts would be to play two up front. If Butler thinks he can keep playing in the same way in the hope of a player coming up with a moment of magic game in game out, he’s in for a rude awakening. Brennan came up with one against Yeovil, but he’s not Roberts, we can’t be hanging our hat on him every week.
I’ll make a prediction even from this early on that Butler will be found out and he’ll end up getting sacked. We are still witnessing odd team selections, so not sure he’s really learnt much. Howe out wide against Yeovil despite having 4 wide options and leaves Rowley out against Southend for the anonymous Richards, who has looked absolutely abysmal so far.
Spent most of the budget and we’ve ended up with the same basic problems of last season as nothing has been addressed. Only now we don’t have star players who are able to paper over the cracks. This squad is the most unbalanced it’s been in distant memory.
Why he re-signed Barrows and went for Ogle when we have Jb, Starbuck is odd the say the least. Jb and Starbuck are miles ahead of those two. Completely wasted the budget.
Granted it’s very early on in the season, but it’s not looking good at all. After watching us in the last two games, something certainly isn’t right. Team Cohesion/ bonding should have been fostered in pre season. I haven’t seen any evidence whatsoever of us having either.
4 users thanked author for this post.
Barrows should never have been offered a fresh contract. It wasn’t needed. Ogle is even more baffling as Butler’s gone out of his way to sign him, which was nonsensical. Fair enough Starbuck has problems with injuries but JB from what I gather is fit, we could have signed a short term cheap loan to tie us over for a month or two if needed.
JB, Starbuck, Rose, Ogle and Barrows is absolute madness. Barrows and Ogle money should have been spent on a capable GK and a good CM player. I understand he see’s Rose as a CM player, but he could still cover there if needs be.
This squad is an absolute shambles.
Crying out for a capable GK, but Butler’s stubbornness has put that to bed. Replaced Ewing with Richards who looks way worse than Rose and Rowley and still light up top.
Even Matt Dean was commenting and laughing about our collection of right back. It’s farcical. This squad is as unbalanced as it has been for quite a while.
I have no idea how a half decent manager, or shall I say one with an ounce of managerial ability signs players relatively early, mostly on permanent contracts and has a full pre season and yet they have zero team cohesion, team bonding and look like they’ve been randomly picked from the PFA training camp the day before the season started and have lined up on match day.
No familiarity between them whatsoever.
How the hell has this been allowed to happen ?. This is the whole point of having a pre season. Some questions needs asking and they need answering internally because I fail to understand how you can draft in your own players and have a whole pre season and end up like this.
This needs to be studied.
Barrows should never have been offered a fresh contract. It wasn’t needed. Ogle is even more baffling as Butler’s gone out of his way to sign him, which was nonsensical. Fair enough Starbuck has problems with injuries but JB from what I gather is fit, we could have signed a short term cheap loan to tie us over for a month or two if needed.
JB, Starbuck, Rose, Ogle and Barrows is absolute madness. Barrows and Ogle money should have been spent on a capable GK and a good CM player. I understand he see’s Rose as a CM player, but he could still cover there if needs be.
This squad is an absolute shambles.
Crying out for a capable GK, but Butler’s stubbornness has put that to bed. Replaced Ewing with Richards who looks way worse than Rose and Rowley and still light up top.
Even Matt Dean was commenting and laughing about our collection of right back. It’s farcical. This squad is as unbalanced as it has been for quite a while.
I have no idea how a half decent manager, or shall I say one with an ounce of managerial ability signs players relatively early, mostly on permanent contracts and has a full pre season and yet they have zero team cohesion, team bonding and look like they’ve been randomly picked from the PFA training camp the day before the season started and have lined up on match day.
No familiarity between them whatsoever.
How the hell has this been allowed to happen ?. This is the whole point of having a pre season. Some questions needs asking and they need answering internally because I fail to understand how you can draft in your own players and have a whole pre season and end up like this.
This needs to be studied.
As above I could understand utilising Barrows as a utility, back-up defender who can play across the back 4 with one eye on him helping us rebuild the academy.
It can’t be denied that he does have significant links with young, talented players in the region.
Alongside this utilising him as a player / coach.
Not necessarily as first choice and using his behind the scene skills to help fill what can’t be denied big gaps that are needed to achieve being a sustainable, FL club.
This approach makes sense to me.
Bringing in Ogle, with his fitness and injury record is baffling at best.
1 user thanked author for this post.
SST, Dec clearly needs to be played up top. His brother and Evans suffer a disturbing lack of pace at the back which is worrying, especially as we’re playing a high line. Behind that high line is an incredible shot stopper, who can’t kick effectively, struggles to collect high balls and generally looks a bag of nerves.
I don’t like that combination.
SST, what’s your opinion on the evident lack of team and tactical cohesion , considering they’ve had a full pre season ?. They all look uncomfortable. Clunky !
I don’t know how Butler has managed this. What’s he been doing all pre season ?
2 users thanked author for this post.
Altrincham probably cheat NI and try to get the ball to him in goal scoring positions.
2 users thanked author for this post.
For the masochists among you… Warning: AI may have played a role in the authoring of this piece.
https://scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2026/august/statistical-review-southend-united-1-0-iron
1 user thanked author for this post.
For the masochists among you… Warning: AI may have played a role in the authoring of this piece.
https://scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2026/august/statistical-review-southend-united-1-0-iron
That “article” is a complete waste of computing power.
2 users thanked author for this post.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.